Sheet feeder



Nov. 7, 1961 R. L. MOSEMILLER SHEET FEEDER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 6, 1959 INVENTOR. N Robert L.Mosemiller Nov. 7, 1961 R. MOSEMILLER SHEET FEEDER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 6. 1959 INVENTOR. Roberi'LMosemiller BY W7 uy A ATTORNEYS Unitecl States Patent Ofiice 3,007,697 Patented Nov. 7, 1961 3,007,697 SHEET FEEDER Robert L. Mosemiller, Wilkinsburg, Pa., assignor to Miller Printing Machinery Co., Pittsburgh, Pa, 21 corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Mar. 6, 1959, Ser. No. 797,646 11 Claims. (Cl. 271-56) This invention relates to improvements in sheet feeders such as feeders for feeding sheets from a pile of sheets to mechanism for operating upon the sheets singly, such, for example, as a press such as a printing press, cutting and creasing press or the like. The feeder may be of the type which advances sheets one by one in non-overlapping relationship or it may be of the so called stream type in which the sheets are successively advanced from the top of the pile but in overlapping relationship. Both types of feeders are well known to those skilled in the art.

To accomplish satisfactory feeding of sheets it is important that each sheet be properly oriented, i.e., not skewed or turned at an angle to its proper position as it is fed forward from the pile, and also that it be taken by the means for advancing it at precisely the proper time. A common means for separating sheets from the top of a pile is so called sucker means, i.e., one or more vacuum feet adapted to pick up at least a portion of the top sheet and move the sheet forward. If the vacuum lines are not completely void of air at the time when the sheet should be picked up the feeding may be imperfect.

When the operator sees a sheet being imperfectly fed or not fed it is important to immediately stop the feeding of sheets until the cause of the imperfect feeding or failure to feed is removed. If one sheet is imperfectly fed or not fed the succeeding sheets will in all likelihood be similarly treated by the feeder. While the feeding of sheets from the pile should be immediately stopped those sheets which have previously been properly advanced from the pile should continue their movement to the press or other instrumentality wherein the sheets are acted on singly. It would not be practicable in any event to stop the operation of the entire mechanism due to the inertia forces involved and the power requirements for again starting up as well as the lost time. The press is provided with automatic means as known to those skilled in the art for omitting the performance of the printing operation when no sheet arrives at the press at the portion of the time cycle when a sheet should arrive so no harm is done at the press by interrupting the feeding of sheets without otherwise stopping the operation of the feeder and press.

Feeders of the type to which my invention is applicable may be of substantial size and in most cases it would be impossible or impracticable for the operator to take hold of a sheet being improperly fed or not fed during the portion of the time cycle when it should be advanced. The operator stands on the floor or on a slightly raised platform alongside the apparatus. I provide relatively simple but effective means which may be operated by the operator from his post alongside the apparatus to render inoperative the means for removing sheets from the top of the pile at any time when the operator sees the necessity of stopping the feeding of sheets from the top of the pile.

'1 provide, in a sheet feeder, driving means, cyclically operable means movable in relation to a pile of sheets to separate sheets one by one from the top of the pile, connection between the driving means and the separating means whereby the driving means cyclically operate the separating means and manually operable means movable between inoperative position and operative position maintaining the separating means against cyclic operation to an extent sufiicient to separate sheets from the top of the pile while the driving means continue to operate. I provide the manually operable means remote from and at all times out of contact with the top of the pile and mounted separately from the separating means. I preferably provide oscillatable means for cyclically operating the separating means to separate sheets one by one from the top of the pile together with connections between the driving means and the oscillatable means whereby the driving means oscillate the oscillatable means and manually operable means movable between inoperative position and operative position holding the oscillatable means against oscillation to an extent sufficient to maintain the separating means against cyclic operation to an eXtent sufficient to separate sheets from the top of the pile While the driving means continue to operate.

The driving means preferably include cyclically operating impelling means, and I preferably provide in combination therewith cyclically operable means movable in relation to a pile of sheets to separate sheets one by one from the top of the pile together with connections between the cyclically operating impelling means and the separating means whereby the cyclically operating impelling means cyclically operate the separating means and manually operable means movable between inoperative position and operative position maintaining the separating means against cyclic operation to separate sheets from the top of the pile while the cyclically operating impelling means continue to operate.

The driving means may comprise a rotatable cam, and connections may be provided between the cam and the separating means whereby the cam cyclically operates the separating means, and the manually operable means may be movable between inoperative position and operative position with a portion thereof stationarily disposed in the path of a portion of the separating means maintaining the separating means against cyclic operation to separate sheets from the top of the pile while the cam continues to rotate. The manually operable means preferably include a detent movable between inoperative position and operative position in engagement with an element of the separating means maintaining the separating means against cyclic operation to separate sheets from the top of the pile while the driving means continue to operate.

I desirably provide a manually operable control member and means including a pivoted detent operated by the control member turnable between inoperative position and operative position in engagement with an element of the separating means maintaining the separating means against cyclic operation to separate sheets from the top of the pile while the driving means continue to operate.

The connections between the driving means and the separating means whereby the driving means cyclically operate the separating means preferably include a pivoted lever, and manually operable means are preferably provided which include a detent movable between inopenative position and operative position in engagement with the lever maintaining the lever and hence the separating means against cyclic operation to separate sheets from the top of the pile While the driving means continue to operate.

In a preferred structure my sheet feeder may comprise a frame, driving means including a driving element in the frame, cyclically operable means movable in relation to a pile of sheets to separate sheets one by one from the top of the pile, connections within the frame between the driving element and the separating means whereby the driving element cyclically operates the separating means, -a manually operable control member at the side of the frame and means including an element extending across the frame having a detent operated by the control member shiftable between inoperative position and operative position in engagement with an element of the separating means maintaining the separating means against cyclic operation to separate sheets from the top of the pile while the driving means continue to operate. The means maintaining the separating means against cyclic operation to separate sheets from the top of the pile while the driving means continue to operate preferably include an element extending along the side of the frame from the control mem her and an element extending across the frame having a detent operated by the control member shiftable between inoperative position and operative position with the detent in engagement with an element of the separating means.

Other details, objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the following description of a present preferred embodiment thereof proceeds.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown a present preferred embodiment of the invention in which FIGURE 1 is a view in vertical cross section taken on the line -II of FIGURE 2 of sheet feeder mechanism embodying my invention; and

FIGURE 2 is an elevational view of the mechanism as viewed from the right hand side of FIGURE 1.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, there is provided a pile support designated generally by reference numeral 2 having thereon a pile 3 of sheets from which the sheets may be fed singly or in a stream, the particular feeder illustrated being a stream feeder. V The feeder includes a plurality of sheet separating devices 4 each having a suction foot 5 at its lower end. The sheet separating devices may be of conventional form and conventionally operated so they are not shown in detail. They are mounted to move generally vertically in guides 55 in a supporting structure 56. Each separating device 4 has fastened thereto a collar 57, and a compression coil spring 58 hearing between the corresponding upper guide 55 and collar 57 urges the separating device downwardly. A pin 59 projects from each collar 57 and is received between the arms of a yoke or fork 60 formed on the end of an arm 61 of a double armed lever 62 mounted to turn on a shaft 6 and having an arm 63 extending generally toward the right and somewhat upwardly viewing FIGURE 1.

Each arm 61 carries a stud 67 having a cam following roller 68 rotatably mounted thereon. A plurality of cams 69 are fixed to a rotating shaft 13 and respectively engage the rollers 68, the contour of the cams 69 being such that as the shaft 13 rotates the cams cause the arms 61 to swing up and down about the axis of the shaft 6, oscillating the sheet separating devices 4 in the guides 55. The sheet separating devices move downwardly against or very close to the top of the pile adjacent the rear edge thereof whereupon suction is imparted to the suction feet through suction hoses one of which is shown at 70, and the sheet separating devices are then raised carrying upwardly with them the rearward end of the top sheet on the pile. The separating devices may then be moved forwardly or toward the left viewing FIGURE 1 to advance the top sheet, or the sheet may be taken and advanced by other means, not shown, as well known to those skilled in the art, which is the case with the embodiment shown. The suction is released at the appropriate time as known to those skilled in the art and before the sheet separating devices return to their position above the pile adjacent the rear edge thereof as shown in FIGURE 1 ready for repetition of the cycle. In a stream feeder each sheet is thus advanced only a comparatively short distance and partly overlies or overlaps the sheet below until the mechanism to which the sheets are being fed takes them one at a time from the leading end of the stream.

All of the mechanism thus far described may be conventional and well known to those skilled in the art and hence is disclosed only to the extent required to enable those skilled in the art to understand that the overall operation is the operation of a stream feeder. The feeder is preferably, as is conventional in the art, provided with pile support control mechanism, i.e., mechanism for feeling the position of the top of the pile at each cycle of operation and raising the pile from time to time so that the top of the pile remains at a substantially constant elevation despite the fact that sheets are continually being removed therefrom. A particular form of improved pile support control mechanism is disclosed in copendlng application Serial No. 785,262, filed January 6, 19 59, and such pile support control mechanism or other pile support control mechanism may be utilized in my feeder.

Carried by the supporting structure is a strap or guide 7 which maintains against the inside face of a portion of the supporting structure as shown in FIGURE 2 a gen erally vertically extending bar 8 which is free to move in a generally up and down direction. The lower end of the bar 8 has an outwardly projecting foot 9. A tension coil spring 10 biased between the guide 7 and a stud 11 carried by the bar 8 urges the bar downwardly.

A shaft 12 is journaled in the supporting structure and has fixed thereto an arm 12a which is connected with the upper end of the bar 8 at 14. The connection at 14 may be either rigid or pivotal, the same result being obtained in either case. I

Fixed to the shaft 12 are a plurality of similarly errented detents 15 one positioned to cooperate with each arm 63. When the bar 8 is raised from its lower pose tion to its upper position as shown in the drawings it turns the shaft 12 in the clockwise direction viewing FIG- URE '1 and since the detents 15 are fixed to the shaft 12 swings the detents down to their operative positions as shown in dotted lines in FIGURE 1 in the paths of the portions 63:: of the arms 63 if the high portion of the cam 69 is in contact with the roller 68. If it is an tempted to raise the bar 8 from its lower position to its upper position when the high portion of the cam 69 is not in contact with the roller 68 the detents 15 will engage the upper surfaces of the portions 63a of the arms 63 until the high portion of the cam 69 comes in contact with the roller 68 and at that time the detents 15 will move into their operative positions with respect to the portions 63a of the arms 63 as shown in dotted lines in FIGURE 1. When the detents 15 are in their operative positions as shown in dotted lines in FIGURE 1 and the levers 62 are turning in the counterclockwise direction about the axis of the shaft 6 to lower the separating devices 4 toward operative position to separate a sheet from the top of the pile the detents 15 engage the portions 63a of the arms 63 and stop the downward move ment of the separating devices 4 so that they do not reach operative position and hence do not separate a sheet from the top of the pile. As long as the bar 8 is held in its upper position as shown in the drawings the se arating devices 4 cannot move down to operative position to separate sheets from the top of the pile despite the con-' tinued operation of the shaft 13 carrying the cams 69 and also of the press or other device to which the sheets are fed. The roller 68 shown in FIGURE 1 is at or close to the high point of the cam 69 which operates it and the detent 15 shown is holding the corresponding arm 63 to prevent downward movement of the separating device 4 operated thereby. During continued rotation of the cams 69 while the detents 15 are in their operative positions as shown there may be a slight oscillation of the levers 62 and hence of the separating devices 4 but the separating devices 4 are nevertheless maintained up out of operative position, i.e., out of the position in which they can separate a sheet from the top of the pile. When the bar 8 moves downwardly from the position in which it is shown in the drawings it turns the shaft 12 through a substan tial angle in the counterclockwise direction viewing FIG- URE 1, swinging the detents 15 upwardly to inoperative position out of the paths of the arms 63 as shown in chain lines in FIGURE 1 and permitting normal operation of the feeder including the separating devices 4.

Horizontally aligned studs 16 are provided projecting inwardly from a portion of the supporting structure. Mounted upon the studs 16 is an elongated bar '17 having parallel inclined slots 18 as shown in FIGURE 1 which receive the studs 16. The bar is movable relatively to the studs 16 to that the studs may occupy any portion of the slots 18. If the bar 17 is moved toward the right viewing FIGURE 1 the engagement of the slots 18 with the studs 16 will cause it to move to a lower elevation as shown in chain lines in that figure. The bar 17 is at all times urged toward the left viewing FIGURE 1 by a tension coil spring 19 biased between a stud 20 on the bar and a stud 21 on the supporting structure.

Journaled in the supporting structure is a shaft 22 having at the outside of the supporting structure a crank handle 23 in position to be easily grasped and operated by the operator to turn the shaft 22. Fixed to the shaft 22 inside the supporting structure is an eccentric 24 which abuts against the left-hand end of the bar 17 viewing FIG- URE 1. When the shaft 22 is turned in the clockwise direction viewing FIGURE 1 by the crank handle 23 the eccentric 24 is turned and such turning of the eccentric causes it to push the bar 17 toward the right viewing that figure against the action of the spring 19 which as above explained results in movement of the bar with a downward component of movement as well as a horizontal component of movement. A stop pin 25 is provided in the supporting structure for limiting the tuming of the eccentric 24. In the position in which the parts are shown in solid lines in FIGURE 1 with the high por tion of the cam 69 in engagement with the roller 68 the eccentric 24 is in the extreme position to which it may turn in the counterclockwise direction and the bar 17 is in its uppermost position with the studs 16 at the bottoms of the slots 18, the bar being maintained in that position by the spring 19. When by means of the crank handle 23 the shaft 22 is turned in the clockwise direction viewing FIGURE 1 to turn the eccentric 24 to the chain line position shown in that figure the eccentric 24 pushes the bar 17 toward the right and downwardly as above explained, the stop pin 25 limiting the movement of the eccentric in the clockwise direction approximately when the bar 17 is in its lowermost position with the studs 16 at the upper ends of the slots 18.

The foot 9 of the bar 8 normally rests upon the upper surface of the bar 17. The bar 8 is at all times urged downwardly by the spring 10. When the bar 17 is moved down from the solid line position to the chain line position of FIGURE 1 it allows the spring to move the bar 8 downwardly, which occurs when the high portion of the cam 69 is in contact with the roller 68, the detents moving from the dotted line position to the chain line position of FIGURE 1. When the eccentric 24 is moved from the chain line position to the solid line position of FIGURE 1 the spring 19 is allowed to urge the bar 17 upwardly and toward the left. The spring 19 thus through the bar 17 urges the bar 8 upwardly and when the high portion of the cam 69 is in contact with the roller 68 the bars 17 and 8 reach their uppermost positions as shown in solid lines in FIGURE 1 and the detents 15 reach their operative position as shown in dotted lines in that figure. Although the movement of the detents 15 between the dotted line position and the chain line position of \FIGURE 1 occurs only when the high portion of the cam 69 is in contact with the roller 68 the operator may move the eccentric \24 either way between its solid line position and its chain line position as shown in FIGURE 1 at any time.

When the detents 15 are in their operative positions as shown in dotted lines in FIGURE 1 all port-ions of the apparatus continue to operate normally except that the separating devices 4 do not separate sheets from the 6 top of the pile and hence sheets are not fed until the detents '15 are moved to their inoperative positions.

The mechanism for thus controlling the sheet separating devices is simple and inexpensive to manufacture and not likely to become out of order and may easily be operated by the operator while he is positioned alongside the apparatus. As soon as he sees a sheet being imperfectly fed or not fed he simply grasps the crank handle 23 and gives it a quick turn in the counterclockwise direction viewing FIGURE 1 through an angle of approximately to the position shown in solid lines in that figure and no more sheets will be separated from the top of the pile until the crank handle is returned to its original position.

While I have shown and described a present preferred embodiment of the invention it is to be distinctly understood that the invention is not limited thereto but may be otherwise variously embodied within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. Ina sheet feeder, driving means, cyclically operable means including separating means movable into and out of cooperative relationship to a pile of sheets .to separate sheets one by one from the top of the pile, connections between the driving means and the separating means whereby the driving means cyclically operate the separating means and manually operable means remote from and at all times out of contact with the top of the pile movable between inoperative position and operative position maintaining the separating means against cyclic operation to an extent suflicient to separate sheets from the top of the pile while the driving means continue to operate.

2. In a sheet feeder, driving means, cyclically operable means including separating means movable into and out of cooperative relationship to a pile of sheets to separate sheets one by one from the top of the pile, oscillatable means for thus cyclically operating the separating means, connections between the driving means and the oscillatable means whereby the driving means oscillate the oscillatable means and manually operable means movable between inoperative position and operative position holding the oscillatable means against oscillation to an extent sufficient to maintain the separating means against cyclic operation to an extent sufficient to separate sheets from the top of the pile while the driving means continue to operate.

3. In a sheet feeder, driving means including cyclically operating impelling means, cyclically operable means including separating means movable into and out of cooperative relationship to a pile of sheets to separate sheets one by one from the top of the pile, connections between the cyclically operating impelling means and the separating means whereby the cyclically operating impelling means cyclically operate the separating means and manually operable means mounted separately from the separating means movable between inoperative position and operative position maintaining the separating means against cyclic operation to an extent suflicient to separate sheets from the top of the pile while the cyclically operating impelling means continue to operate.

4. In a sheet feeder, a rotatable cam, cyclically operable means including separating means movable into and out of cooperative relationship to a pile of sheets to separate sheets one by one from the top of the pile, connections between the cam and the separating means whereby the cam cyclically operates the separating means and manually operable means movable between inop erative position and operative position with a portion thereof stationarily disposed in the path of a portion of the separating means maintaining the separating means against the cyclic operation to an extent sufiicient to separate sheets from the top of the pile while the cam continues to rotate.

5. In a sheet feeder, driving means, cyclically operable means including separating means movable into and out of cooperative relationship to a pile of sheets to separate sheets one by one from the top of the pile, connections between the driving means and the separating means whereby the driving means cyclically operate the separating means and manually operable means including a detent mounted separately from the separating means movable between inoperative position and operative position in engagement with an element of the separating means maintaining the separating means against cyclic operation to an extent suflicient to separate sheets from the top of the pile while the driving means continue to operate.

I 6. In a sheet feeder, driving means, cyclically operable means including separating means movable into and out of cooperative relationship to a pile of sheets to separate sheets one by one from the top of the pile, connections between the driving means and the separating means whereby the driving means cyclically operate the separating means, a manually operable control member and means including a pivoted detent operated by the control member turnable between inoperative position and operative position in engagement with an element of the separating means maintaining the separating means against cyclic operation to an extent sufficient to separate sheets from the top of the pile while the driving means continue to operate.

7. In a sheet feeder, driving means, cyclically operable means including separating means movable into and out of cooperative relationship to a pile of sheets to separate sheets one by one from the top of the pile, connections including a pivoted lever between the driving means and the separating means whereby the driving means cyclically operate the separating means and manually operable means including a detent movable between inoperative position and operative position in engagement with the lever maintaining the lever and hence the separating means against cyclic operation to an ex tent sufficient to separate sheets from the top of the pile while the driving means continue to operate.

8. In a sheet feeder, driving means, cyclically operable means including separating means movable into and out of cooperative relationship to a pile of sheets to separate sheets one by one from the top of the pile, connections including a pivoted lever between the driving means and the separating means whereby the driving means cyclically operate the separating means, a manually operable control member and means including a pivoted detent operated by the control member turnable between inoperative position and operative position in engagement with the lever maintaining the lever and hence the separating means against cyclic operation to an extent suflicient to separate sheets from the top of the pile while the driving means continue to operate.

9. In a sheet feeder, a rotatable cam, cyclically operable means including separating means movable into and out of cooperative relationship to a pile of sheets to separate sheets one by one from the top of the pile, connections including a pivoted lever between the cam and the separating means whereby the cam cyclically operates the separating means, a manually operating control member and means including a pivoted detent operated by the control member turnable between inoperative position and operative position in engagement with the lever maintaining the lever and hence the separating means against cyclic operation to an extent suflicient to separate sheets from the top of the pile while the cam continues to rotate.

10. In a sheet feeder, a frame, driving means includ ing a driving element in the frame, cyclically operable means including separating means movable into and out of cooperative relationship to a pile of sheets to separate sheets one by one from the top of the pile, connections within the frame between the driving element and the separating means whereby the driving element cyclically operates the separating means, a manually operable control member at the side of the frame and means including an element extending across the frame having a detent operated by the control member shiftable between inoperative position and operative position in engagement with an element of the separating means maintaining the separating means against cyclic operation to an extent sufiicient to separate sheets from the "top of the pile while the driving means continue to operate.

11. In a sheet feeder, a frame, driving means including a driving element in the frame, cyclically operable means including separating means movable into and out of cooperative relationship to a pile of sheets to separate sheets one by one from the top of the pile, connections within the frame between the driving element and the separating means whereby the driving element cyclically operates the separating means, a manually operable control member at the side of the frame and means including an element extending along the side of the frame from the control member and an element extending across the frame having a detent operated by the control member shiftable between inoperative position and operative position with the detent in engagement with an element of the separating means maintaining the separating means against cyclic operation to an extent sufiicient to separate sheets from the top of the pile while the driving means continue to operate.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,160,208 Spiess Nov. 16, 1915 1,305,181 Upham May 27, 1919 1,327,182 Upham Jan. 6, 1920 1,478,488 Schultz Dec. 25, 1923 2,091,283 Johnson Aug. 31, 1937 2,568,224 Didde et a1 Sept. 18, 1951 

